Recent content by tntdifan

I think I figured this out. It's actually really easy once you know how. With the reverse button pulled all the way out of the gearshift, install the plastic locking collar on the bottom of the gearshift knob (not on the stalk!) It snaps on with gentle pressure twice, until it's flush against...

Did you take out the center console to get clearance?

Update: I believe I put the knob back on with the lever in "D", but it was supposed to be in "S". The black collar has slid too far down on the shaft and it now interferes with the plastic housing when I try to select gears or shift into "S". I'll try it again tonight.

Car is a 2006 Jetta with DSG. I had to do my headliner (yuck), and as part of that job had to remove the center console, and as part of *that* job had to remove the shift handle. I put it back on, but now I can't do Tiptronic manual gear selection, nor can I go into "sports" mode. The handle...

Probably just oil that's dripped down from the filter canister when I change the oil. I also have a crankcase bypass filter in the vicinity that may leak a little. Do you think I should just leave them alone, and not sweat getting that last 3 liters or so of coolant out of the system? I...

I'm working on timing belt #2 change on my BRM, and would like to (per Bentley) disconnect one of the coolant hoses to the oil cooler to drain all of the coolant from the engine. Good luck! They're somewhat oil-soaked and have swelled (a bit) and melted onto the oil cooler. I'm scared to be...

My car is an '06 Jetta with BRM engine, 152k miles. I'm noticing that the radiator fan (I think it's the "left", driver's side large fan) is making a "thump thump" noise after the car is shut off as it spools down. It may be noisy when the engine is running as well, but I can't tell over the...

It's a reference to a popular series of books on various topics. Sorry you didn't get the joke.

Yep, all done, thanks anyway. Tweaked the timing up to the +1 to +1.5 range (actually it's pretty stable at +1.0 when the engine is under load) over the weekend. Makes a huge difference in performance! At this point, I'm not sure the car ran better when I brought it home from the dealership...

Nah, not in over my head, just made one mistake b/c I didn't know Growler's procedure. :-0 I tried smacking the hub. A lot, over the course of a day. Did nothing except gouge up the hub. Turns out there was a little bit of rust on the cam, which may have been making the hub stick. When the...

Well, the good news is, after replacing sprocket and cam hub, I got the timing belt on this past Saturday, and finished the job up Monday night. The "trick" turned out to be exactly as Growler said: turn the "pinned" tensioner fully clockwise and hold it there while slipping the belt over the...

Gave up and ordered the tool. Would anyone like a previously-owned T10052 the week after next? Only used once! (Honest: only used once. I will crawl from place to place on all fours before I'll do another timing belt on a Volkswagen.) $50 OBO. :mad:

Camshaft hub ... AAAGGHHH!!! Can any part of this %!@$ job be EASY??? Camshaft hub ... how do you remove it? The bolt is loose, but the hub sticks tight. People say, "Hit it with a brass drift after loosening the bolt". Where? between the head and the hub? I don't want to damage my...

Fellas, thanks for the advice and concern. Even if I sanded down the ridge successfully, the sprocket won't necessarily end up centered on the hub, which will cause vibration, etc. I'm going to (partially) admit defeat, and order a replacement sprocket and hub by express shipping tomorrow...

Been working for an hour with the file. Ridge is smaller; sprocket doesn't go on yet.